I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

She dared not look anymore.

She was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist taking out all the food.

As she remounted, Alice's body was still trembling slightly. She quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve, as if nothing had happened.

"let's go."

Lynn said nothing, simply turned his horse around, and continued on his way.

……

The atmosphere of the journey became unusually heavy over the next few days.

Alice hardly spoke anymore, mostly just silently following behind Lynn, head down, lost in thought.

She became very quiet, and even when eating, she would only take small bites of the dry, hard jerky.

Lynn knew that the sight of the refugee camp, and the biscuit she had personally handed out, were like a thorn, deeply embedded in her heart.

This thorn may cause her pain, but it will also help her grow.

They did not encounter any more refugee camps of the same size as before, but the scenery along the way was just as desolate.

Abandoned villages, barren fields, and the occasional carcass by the roadside, devoured by wild animals and reduced to a skeleton.

This kingdom is slowly decaying in an unseen catastrophe.

Alice's face, which always carried a touch of innocence, gradually lost its youthful naiveté during this journey, becoming tinged with a melancholy that was incongruous with her age.

That night, they camped under a sheltered rock face.

The campfire crackled and burned, dispelling some of the chill.

Lynn leaned against the rock wall, closing his eyes to rest, while Alice sat by the fire, holding a twig in her hand, unconsciously scratching at the ground.

"Mr. Lynn."

After a long time, she suddenly spoke.

"Hmm." Lynn opened her eyes.

"Do you think...that little girl, will she survive?" Alice asked softly, her head bowed.

Linn was silent.

How should he answer?

Tell her that in that kind of environment, a cookie might help her survive for another day, but the final outcome might not change anything.

This is too cruel.

"I don't know." In the end, he chose the most honest answer, "But at least, you made her feel a touch of sweetness in her bitter despair."

Alice looked up, the firelight reflecting in her emerald green eyes, creating a complex interplay of light.

"But... what's the use of just a little bit of sweetness?" she murmured to herself. "Afterwards... there's still endless bitterness."

“Perhaps.” Lynn looked at the flickering flames. “But sometimes, it’s just that little bit of sweetness that can sustain a person and help them go a little further.”

After saying that, he fell silent and closed his eyes again.

Alice looked at his profile, which appeared somewhat blurred in the firelight, and fell silent.

She knew that Lynn was trying to comfort her.

But this comfort only made her feel heavier.

The night grew deeper and deeper.

When it was Lynn's turn to keep watch, he noticed that the girl curled up in the blanket beside him was trembling slightly and making soft murmurs in her sleep.

He leaned closer to hear clearly.

She was saying, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Lynn watched her quietly for a while, then silently added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire.

The flames burned even brighter.

……

We traveled for another two days.

They had ventured deep into the northern mountains and forests, completely deviating from all known routes on the map.

Winters here seem to be colder than elsewhere.

At noon that day, as they struggled to cross a mountain ridge, Alice suddenly let out a small gasp.

Lynn immediately became alert and followed her gaze.

Then, he was stunned.

In the valley below them, there appeared a lake that had not frozen over.

This is incredible.

It should be noted that the temperature has been below zero for the past few days, and all the streams and rivers they had passed had long since frozen solid.

But the lake in front of us was shimmering, with a thin layer of white mist rising from it, as if it were warm.

The scene by the lake was even more bizarre.

It was the dead of winter, when everything was withered, yet the grass by the lake was still green.

Even among some of the green grass, there are a few unnamed wildflowers.

Several snow-white deer were leisurely drinking water by the lake.

Even more strangely, several colorful butterflies were fluttering in the warm air.

here……

It's like a secret realm forgotten by winter, existing only in fairy tales.

Alice stared blankly at the dreamlike scene before her, her face filled with shock and disbelief.

The gloom that had been hanging over her heart for days seemed to be instantly dispelled by the warm scenery of the lake and mountains.

Her eyes, which had been dull for several days, lit up again.

She even subconsciously forgot all the suffering and despair she had experienced before, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face.

……

"Mr. Lynn, look!"

Alice pointed to the valley below, then turned to look at Lynn, her emerald green eyes sparkling with a childlike purity.

The oppression and heaviness of the past few days seemed to vanish the moment I saw this extraordinary sight.

Lynn's expression, however, was completely different from hers.

His brow furrowed tightly the moment he saw the unfrozen lake.

Warmth, green grass, flowers, butterflies...

All of this is out of place in this icy and snowy season.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

This place is too eerie.

"Don't go there for now."

"Don't you find it strange? It's freezing cold outside, but why is it only around that lake that it's warm like spring?"

Reminded by Lynn, Alice calmed down.

Yes, that's really strange.

It's like... a dream that appeared out of nowhere in this world.

"Then what should we do?" she asked softly.

"I don't know." Lynn shook his head. His spiritual power had spread out, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea. He couldn't detect any magical fluctuations or sense any hostility from any creature.

This is even stranger.

Or perhaps there really is no danger here, and it's just a simple natural wonder.

Either there is something here whose level is far beyond his current perception.

Lynn prefers the latter.

“We’ll go around it,” he decided.

The unknown means risk, and he doesn't want to take any unnecessary risks right now.

“But…” Alice glanced at the warm lake below, then at the white snow-capped mountains around her, her eyes revealing a hint of longing and reluctance.

After several days of enduring wind and rain and trekking through the snow and ice, she was exhausted both physically and mentally.

She was too cold and too tired.

She longed to rest by that warm lake, even just to warm herself by the fire and have a sip of hot water—that would be a luxurious treat.

Lynn saw through her thoughts.

He paused for a moment.

Alice's physical condition was indeed nearing its limit. Her lips were still somewhat purple, and even wrapped in a thick blanket, her body was constantly trembling involuntarily.

If she continues to travel in such an environment, her physical and mental health may be affected.

Lynn began to weigh the pros and cons in her mind.

Should we choose the unknown risk or the known danger?

He turned his gaze back to the lake below.

The snow-white deer continued to stroll leisurely along the lake, undisturbed.

Animals often have more acute intuition than humans.

If there were truly a deadly danger here, they couldn't be so comfortable.

Perhaps... we could go down and investigate.

"Stay close to me." Finally, Lynn said in a deep voice, "If anything seems amiss, mount your horse immediately and run without looking back, understand?"

"Yes!" Alice nodded vigorously, her face regaining its joy.

The two urged their mounts on, carefully finding a relatively gentle snow slope on the mountain ridge, and headed down into the valley below.

The closer you get to the lake, the less chill there is in the air; instead, you feel a moist and warm atmosphere.

When they finally stepped onto the green grass, a warm current rose from the soles of their feet and instantly spread throughout their bodies.

Alice let out a comfortable sigh.

She dismounted, took off her heavy gloves, and reached out to touch the grass and petals still glistening with dew.

Warm and soft.

Everything felt so real.

She couldn't resist running to the lakeside, squatting down, and dipping her fingers into the water.

The water is warm.

“Mr. Lynn, it’s so warm here.” She turned around and gave Lynn a bright smile.

Lynn wasn't as optimistic as her.

He stood up and his gaze fell on the snow-white spirit deer.

They seemed to sense Lynn's gaze, and all raised their heads, looking at him with their clear, jewel-like eyes, their eyes filled with nothing but pure curiosity, without any fear.

Lynn frowned and stared at them for a moment.

He sensed no malice from these creatures.

Could it be... that I'm just overthinking things?

“Let’s rest here for a bit,” Alice ran over, her voice pleading. “Just one night, okay? I…I really want to take a hot bath.”

Looking at her dusty little face and her expectant eyes, Lynn couldn't bring herself to refuse.